Underneath The Shell
by Reiji Neko Mitsukai
Summary: Accidents happen, but one turtle still feels responsible for what happened.
1. Running on the Rooftops

Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
  
Author's Notes: My first attempt at a TMNT fic. I hope you like it.  
  
* * * *  
  
Donatello took in a deep breath as he and his brothers stood up on a rooftop. "You know guys, we should patrol of foot more often."  
  
"Yea, I've almost forgotten what the city looks like from the rooftops," said Michelangelo as he gazed out at all the lights.  
  
"And how tall these buildings got. I sure wouldn't want to fall off," Leonardo said as he looked down at the sidewalk far below them.  
  
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm not seeing anything of importance," said Raphael.  
  
Leo sighed. "Yea, we should move on."  
  
"Well, off we go!" said Mike as all four brothers ran and leaped off the building, landing on the shorter building beside it.  
  
They kept on running, the buildings getting shorter and shorter. The ends of their masks were flying in the wind, almost like multi-colored banners. The thrill of leaping from building to building took over their senses, and eventually they couldn't even feel the cement under their feet. All their attention was on the feel of the wind around them and the companionship they felt as brothers.  
  
~  
  
A few blocks later they stopped, chests heaving but oddly satisfied. The building they were now standing on wasn't as high as the one they started on, but if a human fell off, they wouldn't stand much of a chance. They wouldn't paint the sidewalk with gore, but they would at least break a few crucial bones.  
  
"I can't believe I forgot how much fun that was!" exulted Mike.  
  
"Yea, it felt good to stretch out the legs a bit," said Raph, turning his head to face the wind.  
  
"Raph, LOOK OUT!"  
  
Raph immediately ducked and rolled, a roundhouse kick whizzing above his head. He rolled onto his feet as his brothers drew out their weapons.  
  
A pack of samurais and ninjas gathered on one side of the roof. They were all armed with some mean-looking weapons.  
  
Mike ran over to Raph, who was standing alone. All four turtles stood ready, waiting for the first move.  
  
The next moment, the leader of the pack let out a battle cry and they charged.  
  
* * * *  
  
Author's note: Gah. Short chapter, I know. I'll make it up to you by putting up the first two chapters. 


	2. No One Sees You Fall on an Empty Street

Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
  
Author's note: Something actually interesting happens in this chapter.  
  
* * * *  
  
It didn't take long for the battle to be almost over. The streets below them were completely empty, so no one was around to catch sight of the fight. Each turtle only had one opponent left to deal with. With a quick blow to the head, Michelangelo finished off his opponent.  
  
"Nighty night! Don't let the roof-bugs bite!"  
  
Leonardo knocked the weapon out of his opponent's hands with his Katanas, then gave him a swift kick. He slid to the ground, unconscious.  
  
Donatello swept his opponent's feet out from under, causing him to fall onto his back. He rolled up onto his feet again, only to be met by the end of Donny's Bo.  
  
Raphael was "dancing" with his opponent, Sai-to-dagger. He finally managed to roll onto his back and, with his foot pushing against his opponent's midsection, flipped him over his head and tossed him.  
  
Raph didn't realize that he had tossed him towards the ledge, or that Mike had been standing in his path.  
  
When Raph got to his feet, he saw his opponent he just tossed hit the ground, and Mike disappearing over the ledge.  
  
Panic gripped Raphael as he ran to the ledge. His eyes were wide with shock from what he had just done. He quickly stopped and looked fearfully over the edge.  
  
Michelangelo was just barely hanging on, a few centimeters of protruding brick as his lifeline. Unfortunately, his grip was not holding.  
  
Laying on the roof, Raph shot a hand out, trying to reach Mike. He could just reach him. "Hang on Mikey!"  
  
Mike took one hand off of the brick and held on to Raph's hand as tight as he could. Raphael could see the pure terror in Michelangelo's eyes. And it scared him. He had never seen his brother that frightened in his life.  
  
"Don't let go of me, okay Raph?"  
  
Raph almost flinched as he felt the wrench in his gut, the one he usually felt whenever Mike used that tone of voice that reminded him of a scared child.  
  
Then, almost as if it were in slow motion, they lost grip on each other. Their fingertips brushed, and then Michelangelo was hurtling towards the quickly coming cement. He cried out in terror.  
  
"NO! MICHELANGELO!"  
  
Raphael was frozen in a mix between horror and terror as his brother's cry was cut short when he hit the ground, right in the middle of a streetlight beam. A few moments later, he got up and ran to the fire escape.  
  
Michelangelo wasn't moving.  
  
Raphael didn't use the stairs of the fire escape. He ran to the edge of the level, then jumped over the railing and swung down to the next level, where he continued the process until he reached the ground. Then he ran to where his fallen brother lay.  
  
Michelangelo was lying shell-up. Raph got onto his knees and rolled him over. A thin red line ran from his forehead and down his face, staining the orange mask tied around his head. His eyes were closed and he was just barely breathing.  
  
Raphael shut his eyes tight as he gently yet tightly held Michelangelo close, forcing his tears to stay behind his eyes. "I'm sorry, Michelangelo. I didn't know you were standing there... I'm so sorry..."  
  
* * * *  
  
Author's note: Now, all depending on the response I get from the readers, I might continue this. 


	3. Guilt

Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
  
Author's note: I couldn't believe the responses I got. I'd feel guilty if I didn't continue this. Less than a week and I got seven reviews. I feel so loved! And thanks for pointing out my mistakes; they've been taken care of now.  
  
References: "..."- Talking '...'- Thinking  
  
* * * *  
  
Time passed. A few hours after the incident, Raphael found himself sitting on a stool in their equivalent of a living room. He loosely held a Sai in one hand, with the point facing the floor. He held his head in his other hand, his elbow resting on his knee.  
  
A medium sized beetle crawled across the floor in front of the stool. It scurried as fast as its legs could carry it.  
  
Thunk.  
  
The beetle emitted a small, almost inaudible squeak, then made no other noise. The point of the Sai hit it dead center, impaling it to the floor.  
  
Raphael sighed as he held his head with both hands and looked at the dead beetle through six fingers.  
  
'Just like that,' he thought to himself. 'Just like that, and I hurt Michelangelo. No, I didn't hurt him. I almost killed him, if I haven't killed him already. It was bad enough when he stopped breathing halfway to the sewers. I felt like sitting down and crying. Or at least running back to the building and pushing myself off. At least then it would have been fair. Yeah, it would've been fair...'  
  
His thoughts were disrupted by the sound of an ancient walking stick approaching. He looked up to see Master Splinter standing in the doorway. His face was set, because he rarely ever looked upon his sons in anger.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Raph stood up. "Well, we were patrolling by foot on the rooftops-"  
  
"No. What happened to Michelangelo?"  
  
"I tossed my opponent off of me, and he ran into him; he was standing too close to the ledge and he fell. I ran over and he was hanging on the edge of a brick. I tried to help him back up, but we just couldn't hold on to each other."  
  
Master Splinter closed his eyes, almost as if he was trying to imagine how the incident had occurred.  
  
"It-it was an accident-"  
  
Master Splinter opened his eyes then turned to leave. "Come."  
  
Raphael swallowed the lump in his throat, then followed his Sensei.  
  
~  
  
Michelangelo lay on a bed in Donnatello's lab. He didn't look much better than when he came in, if not worse. There was a bandage wrapped around his forehead, which had a red stain slowly growing. There was a tight bandage wrapped around his entire torso, covering the hairline crack that had appeared from the impact with concrete. His entire left arm was immobilized, from shoulder to wrist. His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. Raphael was thankful he was breathing at all. Leonardo and Donnatello stood by his bedside, both equally worried.  
  
"A broken left arm, at least two broken ribs, and a very serious head injury," said Master Splinter, giving the list of injuries.  
  
Leonardo looked at his Sensei with hopeful eyes. "When will he wake up?"  
  
Master Splinter shook his head. "I do not know."  
  
Raphael had to swallow another lump in his throat as he felt the hotness behind his eyes again. The hopeful look in Leonardo's eyes gave way to worry.  
  
Raph could remember the last time he had seen his brother in orange anywhere close to that terrified. Him and Mikey were sparring mono-e-mono. Michelangelo was tossing his usual comments to fire up his brother, which was working too well. In a fit of anger, Raphael lost all sense and knocked his brother down, coming at him with a pipe- a pipe!- and fully intending to use it on his brother's skull. At the last second, Master Splinter intervened and Raph realized that he had just tried to kill his own brother. One look at the almost terrified look in Michelangelo's eyes sent Raphael to the rooftops, saying something about getting some air.  
  
"Raphael," came Master Splinter's voice, this time in the current time period. "You know what you must do."  
  
'Yea, I know.' He had to apologize. To everyone. But mostly to Mikey. But, to Raphael, it didn't sound like enough. 'No. No more running. This time I'm going to make it up to you Mikey, to make up for last time, too. I'm going to make sure the first thing you hear when you wake up is me telling you I'm sorry.'  
  
"No Master Splinter."  
  
An old eyebrow went up as Master Splinter began to wonder if his son was disobeying him. The other two standing turtles looked worriedly at their other brother, wondering if the mental shock had finally taken it's toll and that their brother was now insane.  
  
"I'm going to do better than that. I'm going to wait by his side until he recovers. I don't care how long it might take. I'm the reason he's like this, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure he pulls out of it."  
  
Master Splinter soberly regarded his second eldest son. 'It is clear he is still pained with great guilt. I fear that if Michelangelo does not recover, it will break him,' he worried to himself. 'Raphael, you have always been strong willed, even when you were frightened...'  
  
*Flashback*  
  
After putting the boys to bed, Master Splinter meditated in his study. The mutated rat enjoyed the time of peace and quiet that he could occasionally get with four mutant turtle three-year-olds. He tried to teach the boys, but being young, found themselves unable to sit still. Young Leonardo seemed to pick up more quickly than the rest, as he was usually the last to start fidgeting.  
  
The sound of small feet on a hard floor brought Splinter back to awareness. He listened carefully, then heard a few sniffles coming from outside his door. Slowly getting to his feet, he walked over, opened the door, and looked down.  
  
Splinter still didn't know why he wore the red facemask when he went to bed, but young Raphael refused to sleep without it. Raphael stated, with the best of his ability, that it made him feel tougher. Now, as Splinter looked down at the large eyes brimming with tears staring back at him, it didn't look like it was doing its job.  
  
"Madter Spwinter?"  
  
Splinter got down on his knees so he was almost eye level with the child. "Raphael, why are you up and about so late?" The tone in his voice was calm and comforting, as it was obvious Raphael was upset about something.  
  
Raphael sniffled again. "I had a bad dweam."  
  
Splinter gently took the child in his arms. He gently patted the back of his shell; Raphael put both arms around his neck and rested his head on Splinter's shoulder. "Dreams may seem scary, but they are really pictures our mind makes up. Dreams cannot hurt you, because they are not real."  
  
"But it was so scawy..." young Raphael sniffled.  
  
A small smile appeared on Splinter's face. "Yes, sometimes they will be. But when you wake up, your brothers and I will always be here for you."  
  
This reply seemed to reassure the young turtle, as he sniffled once more, then closed his eyes. A few minutes later, he fell asleep.  
  
Once his breathing became regular, Splinter carried the small child back to his room. As he put him back into his bed, he glanced at the other three turtles, sleeping quietly. Michelangelo was drooling on his pillow again. He smiled in amusement, then turned to leave. Just before he left the room, he looked over his shoulder at the four mutants, dreaming peacefully.  
  
"I will be here for you all, each and every one."  
  
*Flashback Ends*  
  
* * * *  
  
Author's note: Done and done. I hope you guys like it, cause I already know how it's going to end. I do that a lot. Next chapter soon, I hope! 


	4. Memories

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except this fic.  
  
Author's note: I must be doing something right. I'm still getting reviews. More memories on Splinter's behalf in this one, for better or worse.  
  
"..."- Talking '...'- Thinking *...*- Sound, Flashback Beginning/Ending  
  
* * * *  
  
A week passed. There was no sign of consciousness in Michelangelo's still form. True to his word, Raphael never left his side. Everyday he sat in a chair and watched over his youngest brother. Once in a while he would get up and check the monitors Donatello had hooked up, stretched his legs, and then sat back down. He never left the lab. He slept and took his meals in that chair. More than once Leonardo, Donatello, or Master Splinter would come down to check up on him at night, just to find him sleeping and his meal on the table beside him, cold and untouched.  
  
April and Casey came down and visited every day, checking on Raph and Mikey. Sometimes April would get so upset Casey had to walk her home.  
  
Leonardo and Donatello were taking it rather well, considering their current circumstance. When their guilt and sadness became too much, they both took it out in their own way: Donatello invented in his lab, while Leonardo practiced his moves that needed improvement. Needless to say, even though these happened frequently, neither got much done. There were times, late at night when they were in bed; both brothers were tempted to cry themselves to sleep. But then they would tell themselves that the sound would go through the wall and they could wake the other, and kept from it. If they had known that neither of them was sleeping, they would have given in and would have had to comfort each other. Instead, they kept their silence and spent the nights staring at the wall.  
  
Master Splinter, however, was aware of the grief and pain that was reverberating through his sons. He was dealing with his own torment as he realized that there was nothing he could do to ease anyone's pain, or to help Michelangelo. More than once, when he was meditating late at night, the thoughts and emotions of his sons would enter his head. Often they came accompanied by the image of a grave with Michelangelo's name engraved in the stone. Sometimes they became so intense Splinter had to hold his head in his hands and pace his breathing before they went away.  
  
One night, after Leonardo and Donatello had gone to bed; Splinter began his nightly rounds of checking on the boys. It became a habit when the boys were young, now he did it just to show the boys he still cared. He first stopped at Leonardo's room. The room was dark, as it usually was at night. From what he could see, his eldest son was on his side, shell facing the door. Splinter closed the door as he left.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
*sniffle*  
  
5 year old Leonardo had a cold.  
  
*sniffle*  
  
And Splinter didn't know what to do about it.  
  
*sniffle*  
  
He tried all the methods he knew. But nothing was working. As he rummaged around the kitchen, Leonardo stood by the doorway, waiting to see what else his Sensei would think of. Whatever it was, he didn't care. As long as he would be able to breathe normally again.  
  
*sniffle*  
  
Eventually the noise caught the attention of 5 year old Michelangelo. He stood in the doorway, watching the commotion. He looked over at Leonardo, who just sniffled again. He then looked back at his Sensei, going between cupboards, looking for something to cure the cold. After a few minutes, he spoke up.  
  
"Master Splinter?"  
  
Splinter turned to see the youngest of his four 5 year olds standing in the doorway, looking at him with his head adorably tilted to one side.  
  
"I heard on the TV that chicken noodle soup helps cure colds."  
  
Splinter absorbed this information, then turned to a cupboard and pulled out a dented can of chicken noodle soup. A picky human had thrown it away because the can was dented. Splinter thanked Michelangelo for the information, then followed the instructions on the label. When it was done, he gave some to all the boys, then had some himself.  
  
The next day, Leonardo had stopped sniffling.  
  
*Flashback Ends*  
  
Donatello was the same way as his brother, lying with his shell to the door, facing the wall. Splinter sighed as another memory came to him as he quietly left the room.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
*hic*  
  
7 year old Donatello had the hiccups.  
  
*hic*  
  
Each time his diaphragm twitched, he shot off the ground about an inch. So he never stayed on the ground for longer than fifteen seconds.  
  
*hic*  
  
Once again, Splinter was baffled. He tried everything he knew. From drinking water upside-down, to a tablespoon of sugar- which he considered his last resort- nothing worked.  
  
*hic*  
  
Defeated, Splinter turned to his second youngest. "I am sorry Donatello. Nothing seems to be working. I am afraid you will have to put up with them until they go away."  
  
Donatello looked disappointed, but walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room.  
  
*hic*  
  
Suddenly, as Donatello walked by the doorway, Michelangelo jumped out at him, hands raised like he was going to grab him.  
  
"RAH!"  
  
Donatello nearly shot out of his shell. Jumping high enough to nearly clear his brother's height, he yelped at such a pitch that they were amazed the television screen didn't crack.  
  
"AIIEEEEE!"  
  
Michelangelo began to laugh so hard he fell back onto his shell, where he started to roll back and fourth as he held his stomach.  
  
After Donatello recovered, he looked at his younger brother angrily. "Not funny Mikey! You- Hey! My hiccups are gone!" His anger disappeared and he began to smile. "You did it Mikey! You got rid of my hiccups!"  
  
Michelangelo wiped away a tear as he calmed his laughter. "You're welcome, Donny."  
  
*Flashback Ends*  
  
As he made his way to Donatello's lab, Splinter couldn't help but remembering how much effort it took not to laugh.  
  
~  
  
Raphael was sleeping in the chair again, the blanket from his bedroom tossed to the floor. Splinter sighed and picked it up, then carefully covered him up, from the shoulders down. An eyebrow went up as he noticed the night's dinner on a nearby table, untouched. His eyes softened and gazed down at the turtle sleeping in the chair, his head resting on his chest as he slept.  
  
'His neck will get sore from sleeping like that,' thought Splinter, and once again felt helpless. Raphael was feeling the worst, since it was him that had tossed his opponent that collided with Michelangelo. Of course, Raphael and Michelangelo have had their moments..  
  
*Flashback*  
  
He just couldn't get it right. No matter how many times he tried, 10 year old Raphael couldn't perfect his move. Something just wasn't right. Frustrated, he was tempted to throw down his Sais in defeat.  
  
Michelangelo, who had finished his practice just after his other two brothers, stood on the sideline and watched every time Raphael tried to get it right. Master Splinter watched with interest from the other side of the room.  
  
After a few more tries, Michelangelo stepped up. Raphael lowered his Sais and faced him.  
  
"Show me how you start out," said Michelangelo.  
  
Raphael glanced at Master Splinter, asking if he should let him interrupt. Master Splinter nodded. He wanted to see where this was going.  
  
Raph reluctantly showed Michelangelo his starting pose. Mikey thought for a minute then adjusted the angle of Raph's right arm.  
  
"There. Now try it."  
  
Surprisingly enough, it worked. The move was absolutely perfect. Master Splinter was impressed and surprised.  
  
Michelangelo grinned.  
  
*Flashback Ends*  
  
'It is amazing,' thought Master Splinter. 'One little adjustment changed everything. But if a rather large adjustment occurred...' He looked over at the pitiful figure lying on the med table. "It would change the world," he finished quietly. He walked over to the form and put a gentle hand upon the green one.  
  
'Michelangelo...'  
  
*Flashback*  
  
Splinter was making his nightly rounds, checking on the boys after he had sent them to bed. All four of them were two years old, and quickly learning how to talk. Young Donatello, however, still hadn't said a word. He often worried over this, but each time decided the toddler would speak when he was ready.  
  
For now, the boys shared a room, thus making the journey much shorter. He quietly opened the door and looked in.  
  
Leonardo was sound asleep, curled up on his side, the blankets up to his chin. Raphael lay sprawled; one arm above his head as the other clutched the blanket. Donatello lay on his stomach, his face buried in his pillow. Splinter worried he could suffocate himself, so he hurried to correct it. He rolled Donatello onto his back, pulling the blanket up to his shoulders. Pleased that his son was now safe, he relaxed. It was then he noticed a rather large pair of eyes looking at him. He realized they belong to Michelangelo, who was lying on his side. Splinter got down on his knees so he was eye level with the youngest of his sons.  
  
"Michelangelo, can you not sleep?"  
  
He just shook his head, looking innocently up at him as he sat up.  
  
Splinter gently took him in his arms and carried him out of his room and into the living room. There he sat into an old rocking chair and sat the toddler in his lap. His eyes scanned the bookshelf beside the chair, then pulled out a book. Holding it so the young turtle could also see, he began to read it out loud, softly, of course, so not to chance waking the others. Michelangelo's eyes followed along as Master Splinter read, almost as if he himself could read it. He probably had memorized it, as Master Splinter had read the story to all of the turtles many times before.  
  
~  
  
Master Splinter slowly closed the book after he finished it. That was his favorite to read to the boys. He looked down at the young turtle in his lap, only to find Michelangelo had fallen asleep with his head resting just under Splinter's shoulder.  
  
Splinter smiled as he replaced the book to it's spot on the shelf. He picked Michelangelo up and carried him back to his room, where he put him back into bed. As soon as the blankets were replaced, he curled up into a ball and nestled his head deeper into his pillow.  
  
*Flashback Ends*  
  
He just looked so innocent back then. And now, as Michelangelo lay on his shell with the blanket pulled up to his chest and his arms at his side on the blanket, he didn't look very threatening.  
  
The elderly rat sighed, and started for his room. Just before he left the lab he paused, and looked at the two brothers.  
  
"Our lives will not be the same without you, Michelangelo."  
  
* * * *  
  
Author's note: Bonus points if you at least got a giggle out of this chapter. Next chapter will probably be the last. I have a few more planned out; one is total cuteness, the other some cuteness. Next chapter soon, I hope. 


	5. Buy Me A Pizza

Disclaimer: I own nothing except this fic.  
  
Author's notes: Last chapter. It might be kinda short, so just bear with me.  
  
* * * *  
  
It had been a little over a month. Michelangelo still hadn't woken up. Each day Raphael woke up with heavy eyelids and heart. He hadn't been getting much sleep, and currently found himself dozing off in the middle of the afternoon from lack of sleep the night before. There were times when he felt he should give up, just get out of the chair and forget.  
  
But then he would remember how terrified his youngest brother looked just before he fell. That removed any previous thought of getting out of the chair.  
  
~  
  
It was middle afternoon, 42 days after the incident. Raphael had his arms folded across his chest, his head nodding off as sleep threatened to claim him. Each time his head drooped, it would shoot right back up. Raphael would glare at nothing in particular, then continue watching over Michelangelo.  
  
About the twentieth time he nodded off, he would have stayed asleep. That is, of course, until a faint voice drifted towards him.  
  
"Buy me a pizza..."  
  
Raphael's head shot strait up, his eyes wide and alert. They scanned the room to find nothing out of place. His brother hadn't moved.  
  
"Buy me a pizza..."  
  
There it was again, just as faint as the first time. Raphael stood up, eyes darting around the room.  
  
"Who's there?" he called out, but not loud enough to get the attention of the others in the lair.  
  
"Buy me a pizza..."  
  
This time it was a bit louder. He was still looking around, and still finding nothing wrong.  
  
It was then he noticed Michelangelo grinning at him, wide awake, the sparkle of life returning into his eyes.  
  
"Buy me a pizza man! I'm starving!"  
  
Any other words were cut off with a strong hug.  
  
* * * *  
  
Author's note: Leave it to Mikey to come out of a near fatal accident playing a joke on his brothers. That's the end of the last chapter. I've been planning for it to end that way for about a week now. I hope you enjoyed it.  
  
If any turtle artists out there want to draw a scene from this fic, let me know what scene from what chapter. You can do one from the accident, from memories; it doesn't matter to me. Just let me know before you start and E- mail me the finished product. I'll put up your picture in my new webpage that I'm going to start soon. You can e-mail me at reiji_neko_mitsukai@kittymail.com if you're going to draw a pic, or if you just feel like talking to me. ^_^ 


End file.
